Chapter 413: Cultivators Are Thieves of Heaven and Earth!
Cultivators are thieves of Heaven and Earth!
At this moment, Lü Yang's mind was filled with only this single thought as he stared blankly at the sky, as if seeing an entirely new world.
'Holes...they're all holes?'
'Even the Fruit Positions are like this—in fact, they're the thirty largest ones...But shouldn't Fruit Positions be part of this world?'
'Or perhaps...'
Lü Yang's thoughts raced wildly before he suddenly seemed to realize something. He abruptly redirected his divine sense inward to examine himself, then revealed a peculiar expression.
Unlike those holes, his [Xuan Capital Blessed Land] wasn't a hole at all. Instead, it appeared as something extra that had been forcibly added to existence. And now, as he connected with Heaven and Earth through [With the World], an intense, scrutinizing sensation emerged.
'Is Heaven and Earth...observing me?'
An enigmatic smile gradually spread across Lü Yang's face: 'Of course. The [Xuan Capital Blessed Land] isn't a hole because it doesn't point to any Fruit Position!'
That's why Heaven and Earth was watching.
If he chose to follow the path of Empty Attainment like the Innate True Person—to mend Heaven and Earth—then the world's attitude toward him would undoubtedly improve dramatically.
But if he ultimately decided to pursue cultivation through Fruit Positions...
Then he would become Heaven and Earth's greatest enemy.
'So this is cultivation!'
'Seizing the creation of Heaven and Earth to form Fruit Positions—they appear to originate from the world, but in truth, they're parasites gnawing at it...Could it be that all Fruit Positions in the world were designed by the Dao Lords?'
Just how powerful were these Nascent Soul Dao Lords?
If cultivators were thieves of Heaven and Earth, then those four Nascent Soul Dao Lords were likely the four greatest thieves among them—"The saint never dies, the great thief never ceases"—truly a Saint's Theft!
'The cultivation system of this world operates almost entirely around these four Dao Lords. They've carved out the thirty largest holes in this world, transforming them into thirty Fruit Positions. Other True Lords and True Persons then use these thirty holes to continuously undermine Heaven and Earth...'
This was the essence of cultivation!
And so-called Blessed Lands were merely tools for this undermining—no wonder other worlds didn't have them. To Heaven and Earth, wasn't this practically suicide?
"No wonder cultivators face the Three Calamities and Five Decays of Heaven and Man..."
The four Dao Lords were clearly deeply intertwined with Heaven and Earth, to the extent that this damned cultivation system contained fundamental contradictions in its underlying logic.
The Three Calamities and Five Decays were both tribulations and opportunities.
On one hand, Heaven and Earth truly used these to cull cultivators. Yet on the other, Blessed Lands could only be forged by enduring these very tribulations.
"..."
Lü Yang remained silent for a long, long time before finally withdrawing his [Xuan Capital Blessed Land]. He stopped gazing at the sky, burying his many doubts and speculations deep within his heart.
Since ancient times, many Great True Persons who reached Foundation Establishment Perfection and forged Blessed Lands had likely done the same. Not for any profound reason—they were simply too weak. Lacking power, they were merely frogs at the bottom of a well catching their first glimpse of Heaven and Earth. What did it matter if they guessed right or wrong? In the end, nothing could be changed.
'Right now...forming my Golden Core takes priority!'
With a thought, the contents of the third-grade true technique he'd obtained from the Dragon Palace Treasury—the Heavenly Speech Kunye Dragon Scripture—appeared in his sea of consciousness.
'No wonder Empty Attainment is so much more difficult than orthodox cultivation.'
'One repairs while the other destroys—of course destruction would be simpler...It's a miracle this world has lasted this long!'
'Wait, no...'
The Dao-Seizing War!
An ancient term suddenly flashed through Lü Yang's mind. Periodically, the True Lords would harvest realms from beyond the heavens and merge them into this world.
'At the time it seemed insignificant, but now I see—this is patching Heaven and Earth! The True Lords take the lion's share, dividing realms containing Fruit Positions or even embryonic Fruit Positions among themselves to feed their Dongtian, leaving only realms without Fruit Positions to Heaven and Earth like scraps for beggars...'
'What beasts!' Lü Yang inwardly sighed.
This way, they neither allowed Heaven and Earth to grow too powerful nor let it collapse from too many holes—achieving sustainable overexploitation!
In this moment, Lü Yang comprehended so much.
This wasn't an increase in strength, but in knowledge and perspective—growth in Cultivation Depth that gave him deeper understanding of Heaven and Earth.
"...Fellow Daoist Suo Huan."
The next instant, Lü Yang turned to Suo Huan: "You witnessed me forging my Blessed Land earlier. Did you gain any insights?"
"..."
At these words, Suo Huan—already deep in thought—tightly furrowed his brow, appearing utterly conflicted as he struggled to grasp some crucial point yet failed.
Seeing this, Lü Yang could only sigh inwardly:
'[Knowledge-Perception Obstruction] is too formidable...'
No longer beating around the bush, he stated bluntly: "Fellow Daoist, how do you think your [Blessed Land of the Numinous Ruins] came to be?"
"Boom!"
Before Lü Yang even finished speaking, Suo Huan's face changed—turning deathly pale in an instant.
Lü Yang's words were like an axe cleaving through the fog shrouding Suo Huan's numinous terrace, revealing places he'd never noticed before.
Yet in this moment, Suo Huan wished he'd never seen them. Despite this, countless thoughts involuntarily surged forth: Indeed, his [Blessed Land of the Numinous Ruins] hadn't undergone tempering through the Three Calamities or Five Decays of Heaven and Man—so how had it been forged out of thin air?
Given by the [Huanxu Realm]?
Impossible! True Blessed Lands were unique to this damned place. The [Huanxu Realm] didn't even have complete Fruit Positions—how could it produce a genuine Blessed Land?
Unless...
'...Someone intervened?'
Suo Huan clenched his jaw but couldn't stop trembling: 'Yes, someone! Unless someone secretly helped forge my [Blessed Land of the Numinous Ruins]...'
But in this damned place, who would be so kind?
'A conspiracy! I've been manipulated?'
'Who!? Why don't I remember any of this...'
Instantly, Suo Huan felt as if he'd plunged into an icy abyss. Yet as someone who'd weathered countless storms, he remained outwardly calm despite the chill in his heart.
He even had presence of mind to glance at Lü Yang.
'This person is definitely not a genuine rogue cultivator from beyond the heavens like me! Eighty percent chance he's a reincarnated True Person from one of the Four Great Powers now returning...'
Otherwise, how would he know so much?
Suo Huan had spent years trying to integrate into this damned place—but Lü Yang? Not only had he integrated seamlessly, his smooth plundering of the Dragon Palace showed he moved through this world like a fish in water!
'...From the Saint Sect?'
Meanwhile, someone else shared Suo Huan's suspicions.
North of the River, Sky-reaching Sea of Clouds.
Within Sacred Fire Cliff, Hong Ju sat cross-legged in his cave abode, using divine sense to simulate and analyze Lü Yang's battle against Tian Qiu.
'The resemblance is uncanny...'
The more Hong Ju analyzed, the more astonished he became.
To him, Lü Yang's final move against Tian Qiu—in manipulating karma and fate's breath—was practically identical to his own master Hong Yun's methods!
'Come to think of it, after meeting me over a decade ago, the master mysteriously vanished. Combined with the recent commotion caused by Buddhist disciple Guang Ming in Jiangnan—which even drew True Person Dangmo's personal intervention—I assumed the master had failed and reincarnated to start anew...'
But now it seemed otherwise?
As Hong Ju pondered, the cave door suddenly swung open, revealing a black-robed, kindly-looking old Daoist.
"[Xiang Ye]?"
Hong Ju raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be preparing for the gold-seeking ritual? What brings you here?"
Xiang Ye cut straight to the point: "What do you think of that rogue cultivator from beyond the heavens who slew Tian Qiu overseas?"
"...Meaning?"
"I believe he must be a True Person from our Saint Sect!"
Xiang Ye stroked his beard with a smile. "No one but a Saint Sect True Person could cultivate such cunning, despicable divine abilities. I think there's hope of recruiting him north of the River."
Hong Ju frowned. "You think he'd agree?"
"He won't have a choice!"
Xiang Ye chuckled lightly. "Have you forgotten? That Tian Qiu carried a Buddhist affinity—though the dragon is dead, the affinity remains."
Here, Xiang Ye couldn't help but show some resentment:
"That fellow from Jiangxi—the one who enjoys mingling with us lower cultivators—is probably already heading overseas."